1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology, stem cells and differentiated cells. More particularly, it concerns programming of somatic cells and undifferentiated cells toward specific cell lineages, particularly hepatic lineage cells.
2. Description of Related Art
In addition to their use in the transplantation therapies to treat various liver diseases, human hepatocytes are in high demand for drug toxicity screening and development due to their critical functions in the detoxification of drugs or other xenobiotics as well as endogenous substrates. Human primary hepatocytes, however, quickly lose their functions when cultured in vitro. Moreover, the drug metabolic ability of human primary hepatocytes exhibits significant difference between different individuals. The availability of an unlimited supply of patient-specific functional hepatocytes would greatly facilitate both the drug development and the eventual clinical application of hepatocyte transplantation.
Therefore, there is a need for production of hepatic lineage cells in therapeutic and research use, especially, human hepatocytes.